"Djokovic's school of disrupting momentum";"Deserve to be told to shut up" - Fans divided over Holger Rune telling Monte-Carlo crowd to quiet down
Tennis fans were divided over Holger Rune's gesture telling the crowd at Monte-Carlo to quiet down as some described the Dane's reaction as Djokovic's school of disruption while others supported him saying that the audience deserved it.
The No. 7 seed, who was booed for getting a time violation, responded by making a talking gesture with his hand. After losing the first set at 4-6, Holger Rune trailed 0-30 on his serve at 5-5 in the second set against Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters when he received a time violation warning. Rune lost the match in three sets.
The spectators started jeering and booing the 20-year-old Dane in response. Holger Rune reacted by putting his fingers together but his reaction landed him in trouble as the chair umpire warned him of unsportsmanlike conduct.
"And he saved 3 BP … Djokovic’s school of disrupting momentum. He is a good student," a fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"Mind u they were literally giving him the middle finger I think in fact these rich monticarlo residents deserve to be told to shut up," another fan said.
"Sad to see a player (Rune) getting a warning for a silly gesture, while hooligans like this are allowed on the stands," another fan said.
Some fans described that it was just drama and that Rune should focus on playing the game.
"He’s just a dramatic princess and he always has been. I have disliked him, then liked him, but he makes it so hard for people to be on his side. Yes he’s young and has areas to work on but… will he always be like this? Because it’s tough to watch. Play tennis god damnit," a fan said.
"The middle finger was after he started doing his show, he already did in the past so ofc the crowd was hostile," a fan quipped.
Fans pointed out that the audience was mostly Italian as Monte-Carlo is just a thirty-minute drive from Italy.
"The club isnot in monte carlo, it is in franc and many italians show up asit is 30 minutes drive," a fan said.
"They’re all poor Italians," another fan joked.
"Gucci crowd," a fan said.
Holger Rune asks umpire to call the supervisor at Monte-Carlo Masters QF
Holger Rune argued with umpire Cedric Mourier and asked him to call the supervisor after he was given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct during the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
The Dane pointed out that he did not say a bad word during his quarterfinal match against Jannik Sinner of Italy. He sat in protest during the match stating that he was not being rude.
Rune said asking the crowd to remain quiet was not a bad gesture. Incidentally, the Dane was booed again as he was leaving the court after the match and he responded yet again with the same hand gesture.